LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Biden-Harris Administration announced that four Arkansas school districts are among the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition.
Each district will receive funds to replace older, diesel-fueled school buses with new ones that run on clean energy. The goal of this initiative is to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, save schools money, and protect children’s health.
“President Biden believes every child deserves the opportunity to lead a healthy life and breathe clean air, and his Investing in America agenda is designed to deliver just that,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “With today’s latest round of funding, we are transforming the nation’s school bus fleet to better protect our most precious cargo—our kids—saving school districts money, improving air quality, and bolstering American manufacturing all at the same time.”
Arkansas will receive $11 million in federal funds to be shared with the following school districts:
- Little Rock School District: $8.625 million for 25 electric buses
- Batesville School District: $365,000 for one electric bus
- Farmington School District: $1.220 million for six buses
- Quitman School District: $820,000 for four buses
The program started through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which includes $5 billion over five years to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models.
Since it began, the EPA has awarded almost $3 billion to fund 8,500 school bus replacements at over 1,000 schools across the country.